I hope you are enjoying-or at least surviving-this busy time of year when so many school-year activities are beginning. It is a beautiful sunny, cool day in Kentucky and fall seems like an exciting prospect! I am writing to update you on the activities of the PCA/ACA leadership team as well as to solicit nominations for the position of Graduate Student/Pre-Professional Board Member.

As I mentioned in my July communication, the PCA/ACA Governing Board, the PCA/ACA Endowment Board, and the Executive Directors met in June in Cincinnati to begin crafting a strategic plan to move the association forward. You have already heard one suggestion that emerged from that meeting and has been shared for comment: a proposal to shorten the name of the association to Popular Culture Association. We have appreciated hearing from many of you already on this issue, and we encourage you to comment if you have not already done so. After considerable discussion, we have finalized the 2015-2018 Strategic Plan, which is available on our website here (http://pcaaca.org/about/bylaws-and-policies/). You will see that the goals center around improving the operation and accountability of the association, enhancing its public presence, furthering popular culture studies, growing our international and regional presence, fostering diversity and inclusion, and providing professional development for all members. As are all strategic plans, this is a living document and will evolve as we move toward achieving our goals. However, we believe it will provide the direction and accountability structure that will ensure we stay on a productive path. And, of course, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Some of you may already have heard that PCA/ACA is seeking a candidate for the Graduate Student/Pre-Professional Representative to the Governing Board. The person who holds this position will attend the governing board meetings, participate in committees as designated, and help communicate the perspective of our graduate student members. Interested applicants should send a 250-word letter of interest to me (Diane.Calhoun-French@kctcs.edu), along with contact information for a member of the PCA/ACA who can provide a recommendation on their behalf. The deadline for receipt of applications is October 1. The Graduate Student Representative is a one-year appointed position, selected by the President and approved by the governing board.

I continue to be grateful for the opportunity to serve as PCA/ACA’s President. As we approach our mid-year board meeting, I encourage you to contact me with any issues you believe the board should be attending to. And I hope you are already making plans for our Seattle conference. I look forward to hearing from you!